About

Rinsola Abiola is a certified Public Relations practitioner whose entire adult life has been defined by advocacy for good governance, gender equity and youth inclusion in politics.

With a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Agriculture in Abeokuta, her hometown, and a Diploma in Public Relations from the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), she has distinguished herself as a sharp-witted young media professional and politician.

An advocate of professionalism in politics, she founded Kareesmah Media & Events Ltd, a Public Relations firm which has grown over time with her hard work, tenacity, reputation for excellence and good work ethic. Through the firm, she has executed PR campaigns for several corporate organisations and notable political figures. Her areas of expertise include Media Relations, Voter Relations and Campaign Design/Implementation, Branding, Strategic Communication, and Events Conceptualisation and Management.

Her communication skills combined with her passionate advocacy against the exclusion of women and young people in politics, has translated to a political career which has blossomed expeditiously.

Rinsola, who began as a youth activist, first served as South West Coordinator for the Nigerian Youths Dialogue Summit Group in 2012. Subsequently, she joined mainstream politics during the merger process which birthed the All Progressives Congress and was a founding member of the All Progressives Youth Forum (APYF). She later emerged as the forum’s first Public Relations Officer.

Concerned about the lack of representation of young women in the party’s youth activities, she co-founded the APC Young Women Forum in 2013 and served as its secretary until she was appointed Acting President in 2015. Her tenure has so far seen to the expansion of the membership of the APC-YWF, which is now actively represented in most states of the federation.

In recognition of her efforts in promoting the APC, Rinsola was appointed to the youth mobilisation committee of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. She eventually also served on the media committee as it was apparent that she possessed the requisite skills for media engagement. She featured in several debates during the campaign, the most notable of which was the women supporters’ debate in which she squared off against a representative of the People’s Democratic Party, who was an aide to the then President Goodluck Jonathan.

She featured on radio programmes in Abuja and Abeokuta, her hometown, calling on Nigerian youths to vote for APC and toured the country alongside other APC youth leaders, campaigning for the party. She also played a leading role in the online media in campaigning for the All Progressives Congress, the only party in Nigeria’s democratic history credited with the feat of unseating an incumbent president.

As an acknowledgement of her efforts towards mobilising the youth demography for the party and her advocacy on gender equity and youth inclusion in governance, she was appointed as a member of the ruling APC’s Board of Trustees, making her the youngest BoT member so far in the history of all major political parties in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.

In August 2017, she was appointed to the board of the Young Women in Politics Forum (YWiPF), an umbrella organisation for all young Nigerian women in politics. Also in August, she was appointed as a member of the APC Committee on True Federalism, where her strong commitment to protecting youth interests was reflected in the committee’s recommendations on youth inclusion and equitable representation.

An ardent supporter of the Not Too Young To Run Bill, Rinsola has also participated in town hall meetings and rallies, penned articles promoting the Bill and consistently advocated for its adoption.

In addition to being a member of APC’s BoT, Ag. President, APC Young Women Forum, and Board Member representing the APC in the Young Women in Politics Forum, Rinsola presently serves as Special Assistant to Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives.

She has gathered credible experience and deeper understanding of legislative processes through observation and documentation of plenary and other legislative duties. She has also participated in study visits to countries including Sweden and the United Kingdom, and represented Nigeria at the IRI Generation Democracy Conference in Dar es Salam, Tanzania.

Rinsola is an alumna of the prestigious International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP), the US Department of State’s premier professional exchange programme.

Her brilliance, exceptional multi-tasking skill, ability to mobilize and resonate hope and inspire action, has earned her comparisons with her late father, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, one of Nigeria’s foremost businessmen and politicians who won the country’s annulled 1993 general elections.

‘Rinsola continually seeks ways to contribute to nation building, advocate for the advancement of young people and women, and promote good ideals in words and deeds.